Moving On - To Oregon

Next morning the rain had subsided and we got back onto I-5 south.

Passing Portland OR we went across the Columbia River.

Our destination for the day is the little town of Florence at the mouth of the Siuslaw-river, right on the shores of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. At Coburg the Hwy 126 turns west down and away from the big Interstate 5. It leads down to Florence as a winding mountain road which, at times, appears to be pretty bumpy. But with cautious driving we make it all the way down. The landscape of this valley is beautiful in its fall colors and we enjoy the drive.

Florence is a typical coast town where everything is based upon tourism. Fast-food restaurants, and motels are lined up along main street, only interrupted by some notorious souvenir stores.

The happy surprise is the camp ground. Bordering to the Great Oregon Sand Dunes Recreational Area it is beautifully landscaped with spacious sites offering all amenities you'd expect at a campground.

After enjoying a coffee beak we make a walk up into the dunes. And boy, we are surprised by the enormous size of these dunes. Way to the west, about a mile from where we are we see the sparkling Pacific Ocean. Up to there the entire landscape is just dunes, made of the finest sand. Apparently this is the playground for ATV's as there are tracks all over the place.

I suggest we drive to a place where we can access the beach. The campground manager gives us the directions and off we go. We find a beautiful spot right at the shore from where we walk across the flat beach towards thundering waves rolling ashore. The sun is on its descent and we wait for the sunset.

Molly and Boomer were happy to being able to run around until the sun was ready to dive behind the horizon. 

The sunset above the Pacific was just beautiful. Full of happiness and content with our day we retired for the night behind the dunes. My late evening stroll brings me back again into the dunes. Above a thousand stars, in the distance the rolling thunder of the waves - surrounding me all but quietness.

We could have stayed for another day, but were also eager to see more of this beautiful coastline. We didn't go back to the I-5, wanted to avoid the Grants Pass and the climb over the Siskiyou Mts. So we continued the very beautiful drive along Hwy 101. I will never forget the stunning views up and down the coast. 

At Eureka we turned west onto a barrier peninsula which ended at Samoa Beach, where we found another great parking spot near the water.